MESSAGE 


TO 


The  Senate  of  the  United  States,  transmitting  a  letter  from  the 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  with  accompanying  Documents, 
relative  to  the  New  York  Custom-house. 

JANUARY   31,  1879. 


Avery  Architectural  and  Fine  Arts  Library 
Gift  of  Seymour  B.  Durst  Old  York  Library 


MESSAGE. 


To  the  Senate: 

I  transmit  herewith  a  letter  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  in  relation 
to  the  suspension  of  the  late  collector  and  naval  officer  of  the  port  of  New 
York,  with  accompanying  documents. 

In  addition  thereto  I  respectfully  submit  the  following  observations: 

The  custom-house  in  New  York  collects  more  than  two-thirds  of  all 
the  customs  revenues  of  the  Government.  Its  administration  is  a  matter 
not  of  local  interest  merely,  but  is  of  great  importance  to  the  people  of  the 
whole  country.  For  a  long  period  of  time  it  has  been  used  to  manage  and 
control  political  affairs.  The  officers  suspended  by  me  are,  and  for  several 
years  have  been,  engaged  in  the  active  personal  management  of  the  party 
politics  of  the  city  and  State  of  Xew  York.  The  duties  of  the  offices 
held  by  them  have  been  regarded  as  of  subordinate  importance  to  their 
partisan  work.  Their  offices  have  been  conducted  as  part  of  the  political 
machinery  under  their  control.  They  have  made  the  custom-house  a  center 
of  partisan  political  management. 

The  custom-house  should  be  a  business  office.  It  should  be  conducted 
on  business  principles.  General  James,  the  postmaster  of  New  York  City, 
writing  on  this  subject,  says:  "The  post  office  is  a  business  institution,  and 
should  be  run  as  such.  It  is  my  deliberate  judgment  that  I  and  my  sub- 
ordinates can  do  more  for  the  party  of  our  choice  by  giving  the  people  of 
this  city  a  good  and  efficient  postal  service  than  by  controlling  primaries 
or  dictating  nominations."  The  Xew  York  custom-house  should  be  placed 
on  the  same  footing  with  the  New  York  post  office.  But  under  the  sus- 
pended officers  the  custom-house  would  be  one  of  the  principal  political 
agencies  in  the  State  of  New  York.  To  change  this,  they  profess  to 
believe,  would  be,  in  the  language  of  Mr.  Cornell,  in  his  response,  "to 
surrender  their  personal  and  political  rights." 

Convinced  that  the  people  of  New  York,  and  of  the  country  generally, 
wish  the  New  York  custom-house  to  be  administered  solely  with  a  view 
to  the  public  interest,  it  is  my  purpose  to  do  all  in  my  power  to  introduce 
into  this  great  office  the  reforms  which  the  country  desires. 

With  my  information  of  the  facts  in  the  case,  and  with  a  deep  sense  of 
the  responsible  obligation  imposed  upon  me  by  the  Constitution,  to  "take 
care  that  the  laws  be  faithfully  executed,"  I  regard  it  as  my  plain  duty  to 
suspend  the  officers  in  question,  and  to  make  the  nominations  now  before 
the  Senate,  in  order  that  this  important  office  may  be  honestly  and  efficiently 
administered. 

R.  B.  HAYES. 

Executive  Mansion,  January  31,  1879. 

(3) 


MO 
U5 


LETTER. 


Executive  Mansion, 

Washington,  May  26,  1877. 

My  dear  sir:  I  have  read  the  partial  report  of  the  Commission 
appointed  to  examine  the  New  York  custom-honse.  I  concur  with  the 
Commission  in  their  recommendations.  It  is  my  wish  that  the  collection 
of  the  revenues  should  be  free  from  partisan  control,  and  organized  on  a 
strictly  business  basis,  with  the  same  guarantees  for  efficiency  and  fidelity 
in  the  selection  of  the  chief  and  subordinate  officers  that  would  be  required 
by  a  prudent  merchant.  Party  leaders  should  have  no  more  influence 
in  appointments  than  other  equally  respectable  citizens.  No  assessments 
for  political  purposes,  on  officers  or  subordinates,  should  be  allowed.  No 
useless  officer  or  employ 6  should  be  retained.  No  officer  should  be  re- 
quired or  permitted  to  take  part  in  the  management  of  political  organi- 
zations, caucuses,  conventions,  or  election  campaigns.  Their  right  to  vote, 
and  to  express  their  vieAvs  on  public  questions,  either  orally  or  through  the 
press,  is  not  denied,  provided  it  does  not  interfere  with  the  discharge  of 
their  official  duties. 

Respectfully, 

R.  B.  HAYES. 

Hon.  John  Sherman,  &c. 


LETTER 

TO 

GENERAL  E.  A.  MERRITT,  COLLECTOR  OF  CUSTOMS, 
NEW  YORK  CITY. 

FEBEIJARY    4,  1879. 


LETTER. 


Executive  Mansion, 

Washington,  February  1879. 

Dear  General:  I  congratulate  you  on  your  confirmation.  It  is  a 
great  gratification  to  your  friends,  very  honorable  to  you,  and  will  prove, 
I  believe,  of  signal  service  to  the  country. 

My  desire  is  that  your  office  shall  be  conducted  on  strictly  business 
principles,  and  according  to  the  rules  which  were  adopted,  on  the  recom- 
mendation of  the  Civil-Service  Commission,  by  the  administration  of 
General  Grant.  In  making  appointments  and  removals  of  subordinates 
you  should  be  perfectly  independent  of  mere  influence.  Xeither  my 
recommendation  nor  that  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  nor  the  recom- 
mendation of  any  member  of  Congress,  or  other  influential  person,  should 
be  specially  regarded.  Let  appointments  and  removals  be  made  on  busi- 
ness principles,  and  by  fixed  rules.  There  must  be,  I  assume,  a  few  places 
the  duties  of  which  are  confidential,  and  which  should  be  filled  by  those 
whom  you  personally  know  to  be  trustworthy;  but  restrict  the  area  of 
patronage  to  the  narrowest  possible  limits.  Let  no  man  be  put  out  merely 
because  he  is  a  friend  of  the  late  collector,  and  no  man  be  put  in  merely 
because  he  is  our  friend.  I  am  glad  you  approve  of  the  message  sent  to 
the  Senate.  I  wish  you  to  see  that  all  that  is  expressed  in  it,  and  all  that 
is  implied  in  it,  is  faithfully  carried  out. 

With  the  assurance  of  my  entire  confidence, 
I  remain,  sincerely, 

R.  B.  HAYES. 

General  E.  A.  Merritt, 

Collector  of  Customs,  New  York. 


